As Time Ticks By
by Thalia Castellan
Summary: A snippet from Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth’s lives on the run. The twist, its December 22nd. Written for WindowChild and ShadowPalace’s one-shot challenge. One-Shot Challenge: Week 2


**Disclaimer: No, I do not own or claim to own any of the characters or anything else recognizable from the books. The idea and the bird however, are mine.**

**Summary: A snippet from Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth's lives on the run, the twist, its December 22nd. Written for WindowChild and ShadowPalace's one-shot challenge.**

**Beta Reader: I'd like to thank icy roses for all her help. Without her, this story would have to many grammatical errors to count.**

**Age: I know, Annabeth seems really young, but if she arrived at camp at seven, and she was on the run with Thalia and Luke for two years, then allowing time for her to find Thalia and Luke, I'm assuming she left home at about four and a half.**

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_**As Time Ticks By......**_

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Ten. At ten you were suppose to have a huge party, a cake, presents, jealous friends, and proud parents. Ten was the first double digit, you were suppose to make a fuss over it, even if you didn't want to.

Thalia's last 'real' birthday party was when she'd turned six. Her mother had made her a cake, and two of her kindergarden friends had gone to the park with her. There'd been singing, and they'd each given her a small gift, some token of time passing and making her older.

Even though that party hadn't really even been a party, it had been something. It had shown that even if she didn't care a lot, Thalia's mother did care at least a little for her. Now, four years later, at ten, she was sitting in an alleyway somewhere in Massachusetts. Annabeth was curled up next her on one side, and Luke on the other.

They'd fallen asleep waiting for the Starbucks to open. Annabeth was wearing both Thalia and Luke's jackets over her own and still shivering. That's why they came into town; Annabeth was going to get frostbite.

Thalia sighed and leaned her head back on the brick building behind her, shifting slightly so she could rub her cold arms with her still colder hands.

"Happy birthday, Princess." Thalia jumped.

"When'd you wake up?" Luke shrugged.

"Some time in the past two minutes. Whatcha thinking about?"

"Were you watching me think again?"

"Its not like I have anything better to do." Thalia ignored Luke's last comment and broke eye contact with him, instead choosing to look over at the five-year-old curled up next to her.

Even in her rather resentful mood, looking at Annabeth, Thalia had to smile. Even if the sight of the poor girl shivering was sad, there was something about the way she was wrapped up in three different jackets that made Thalia smile.

"Come on, they opened five minutes ago." Luke stood up, offering Thalia his hand.

"Impatient much?" Thalia teased, hoisting herself up before leaning down and scooping Annabeth up in her arms.

"We've been waiting six hours for this place to open, why won't I be impatient?" Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Don't kid yourself, you haven't been waiting, you've been sleeping!"

"Same thing." Luke said with a shrug, taking Annabeth from Thalia with one swift motion that Thalia credited with being a son of Hermes.

"Afraid I'll drop her?" She was only half teasing.

"You don't want to know what my answer is."

"You think I'll drop her." Thalia crossed her arms.

They stood, not looking at each other, for a solid five minutes. Thalia fuming and Luke waiting for her to finish venting her anger.

"Fine, you carry her. Now lets move on, its a normal day, and because its normal, you can carry her."

Luke looked down at her, confusion written all over his elfish face. "But isn't today your birthday?"

Thalia blinked several times, looking just as confused as Luke did. But under her confusion something else was rising. Thalia kept putting the emotion down, because she didn't believe it was possible that she'd heard right. Luke must be joking.

"What?"

"You turn ten today, don't you?" So she had heard right!

A smile crept onto Thalia unwilling lips, and she smiled yet again. "Yeah, I guess I do."

Luke breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Annabeth and I have something planned, and it'd be ruined if today wasn't your birthday."

Thalia was of course, curious. And was about to question Luke about the surprise when she realized that Luke, had never given her a reason as to why he thought she'd drop Annabeth.

"So, why do you think I drop Annabeth, if I carry her what, twenty feet? I know I'm not the carefullest person ever, but I can carry a person less then half my size and weight twenty feet without dropping them."

"I dunno," Luke shrugged as best he could. "But I always carry her, you've never even offered before."

"I don't like little kids."

"Then why'd you pick her up less then five minutes ago? Is it possible that she's growing on you?" Thalia rolled her eyes again and elbowed him. "Hey! Careful with the abuse Thals, I can only take so many electric shocks in one lifetime!" Thalia grinned and shocked him again. "Seriously! Cut it out!" Luke swatted her hand away, jolting Annabeth awake.

"Thalia, stop flirting with Luke." Both the ten and twelve year old froze when the innocent words of the barely conscious five year old met their ears.

"I am not flirting!" This time Annabeth was the one Thalia shocked.

"Chill, Thals." Luke elbowed her 'accidentally' as he set Annabeth down on the pavement.

"Yeah Thalia, chill." Annabeth then broke down in giggles, one of the things Thalia hated about children, they giggled at every thing. "Luke," She abruptly stopped giggling and pulled at Luke's sleeve. "When can we have breakfast?"

Luke pushed open the Starbucks door, "Right now. You can have anything you want, just try not to be to extravagant, Thalia and I are hungry too!" The last part of his sentence was shouted. Annabeth had her noise up against the glass case and looking like she was about to order every pastry the store had ever made.

"What do you want?" Luke turned his attention to Thalia. She shrugged.

"I'm fine, I'll have whatever you two don't eat."

"What, are you on a diet or something?"

"No, why?" Luke started at her, desperately trying to figure out what he'd done to upset her.

"You know perfectly well, Thalia, that neither of us will leave anything. You should really get something." Thalia just shook her head.

"I'm fine, really." Luke shrugged and left the table, going instead to help Annabeth.

Thalia reached over and grabbed a fork out of there bin. She stared at it, fiddled with it, blinked back tears.

Watching Annabeth get excited over a banana-nut muffin was painful. Even if they hadn't been rich, and her mother hadn't loved her, Thalia had never been truly hungry. And from what Luke had told her about his old life, neither had he.

But Annabeth had runaway less then six months after she'd turned four, she didn't remember having been full after every meal, she only remembered her father's cruelty. And even though Thalia though that Annabeth was probably exaggerating, her father hating her was the only memory the little girl seemed to have.

"Here, don't complain." Luke slid a blueberry muffin in front of her, breaking Thalia's thought process.

"I told you not to get me anything!"

"And I told you not to complain. Now eat."

They ate in silence. Thalia storming at Luke inwardly for getting her something she didn't want, and at the same time, thanking him for knowing her well enough to know that she was starving.

Luke watched her eat the muffin in triumph. And Annabeth looked from one to the other, her laughter hardly contained.

As she brushed crumbs off her clothes, Thalia let her mind wonder back to what Luke had said before breakfast,_ Good. Annabeth and I have something planned...... _as her first birthday surprise in four years, Thalia's imagination soon got the better of her and she had just dreamt up a lavishly furnished house with a kitchen filled of food, and a safe full of money--both the mortal and immortal kind-- when she was yanked out of her

dreams by Annabeth.

"Aren't you excited?"

"Hmm?" Thalia started in confusion at the smaller girl, her mind still half on her dream house.

"Aren't you excited?" The blond repeated.

"About what?"

"The surprise of course!" Annabeth rolled her eyes, "What else is there to be excited about? And besides, Luke said you'd really enjoy going to a--" Whatever Annabeth was going to say next was cut off by Luke, who clapped his hand over Annabeth's mouth.

"Sheesh Annabeth! I haven't told her what the surprise is, only that there is one." Annabeth pushed Luke's hand away.

"You said you'd tell her!" Luke shrugged, and ducked his head.

""I thought you might want to be awake." Annabeth pondered for a moment, her small face puckered with indecision.

"Yeah, guess you're right." After an awkward pause in which Annabeth and Thalia both looked at Luke and he avoided their gases.

"Fine! I give in! I'll tell her." Luke's out burst was followed by yet another pause, this time filled with silent laughter.

"Waiting for tomorrow?" Thalia teased, bitting back laughter.

"He's scared." Annabeth gave up holding back her laughter and dropped onto a chair giggling helplessly.

"Am not!" Luke glared at the hysterical five year old.

Annabeth continued to giggle. Finally quieting when she was forced to hold her sides from the pain of laughing.

"It's not like I'm going to kill you." Thalia pointed out.

Luke's eyebrows raised in the unspoken question of, really? Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Just tell her!" Annabeth was off the couch and at Thalia's side. "If you don't, I will!"

"Yeah right."

"Thalia," Annabeth started, "Luke's taking you to a--" Luke smacked his hands down over Thalia ears.

"Ow!" Thalia turned around, her fingers on her bracelet.

"You said you won't kill me." Luke reminded her.

"Green Day concert!" Annabeth finished, happy to have delivered her message with out to much interference.

"You said you wouldn't tell her!" Luke lunged for Annabeth who bolted for the bathroom.

"Violent much?" Thalia sat down on the chair across from Luke.

"I had to find out how to get us in without tickets! And she promised not to tell. Besides, it was my idea!"

"I'm the one who found out that they're playing tonight." Annabeth's muffled voice came from behind the bathroom door.

"Come out of the bathroom Annabeth, I'll make sure Luke doesn't kill you." Luke glared at her, and Annabeth flew from the bathroom and on to Thalia's lap in seconds.

Thalia went rigid the moment Annabeth jumped onto her lap. Over the mass of blond curls, Thalia sent Luke a help-me-there's-a-little-kid-sitting-on-my-lap look, but Luke, partly sullen from their disagreement, and partly enjoying Thalia frantic look, refused to be of any help.

"We should go. Its a bit of a walk to the concert." Annabeth turned and hugged Thalia before hopping to the ground and starting towards the door. "Well, aren't you two coming?"

"Yeah, coming." Luke stood, shortly followed by Thalia.

"She's growing on you." Luke whispered as he handed Thalia her jacket.

"Just a little." Luke smiled, satisfied.

"Here." Luke pressed something small and black into Thalia's hand before curling her fingers around whatever it was. "Happy birthday." And then he turned and walked to join Annabeth by the door, leaving Thalia to put on her jacket and examine his present.

They were outside and walking before Thalia had a chance to look at the thing held tightly in her closed hand. Annabeth was skipping ahead, and Luke was lost in his own thoughts, wandering between the two girls.

Opening her hand, Thalia gasped quietly. Resting in her palm, a small bird--perhaps a hummingbird, but she wasn't sure--carved out of jet lay. And for the moment, Thalia didn't care for where or how Luke had stolen it, she was just happy to have it.

"Thanks." He turned to look at her.

Thalia had stopped walking and stood, holding the bird carefully, snow settling in her dark hair.

"Thanks." She repeated.

"You're welcome." A grin spread over Luke's face when he realized Thalia wasn't being sarcastic.

"Hey guys! Look what I found!" Annabeth came running up to the pair, holding a feather in her mittened hands.

Luke swept her up into a hug, congratulating her the way a parent or sibling is suppose to. And before she knew what she was doing, Thalia was hugging Annabeth to. There was hugging all around before Annabeth was put down and hair and hats were smoothed.

All three had red noses and cheeks, and Annabeth had been picked up five minutes after she had been put down because she was cold. And then Thalia had donated her hat and gloves to Annabeth because Luke was going to but he was already carrying the cold girl, so Thalia felt obliged to help out as best she could.

And then Luke had his arm around her shoulders because she was shivering, and Thalia had her arm around his waist cause she couldn't reach his shoulders easily, and Annabeth was talking about the difference between punk rock and rock, and they were laughing again. Just like a family.

And then Thalia realized that they were a family. They took care of each other, stole presents, gave jackets and such up when it was cold, went with out food, told secrets, laughed, and lived together. They were a better family then her mother had been, and Thalia wouldn't give them up for anything. Not even a perfectly regular mother and father.

And so, looking at a curly haired five year old, and the sandy haired twelve year old, Thalia decided that she didn't mind not having another birthday party ever again. All she wanted for really needed was them. In the end--even though she'd never admit it to either of them--they were the best present she could ever get. Two people who cared about her, who someday, might be the first two people she would say 'I love you' to.

Years later, after so much time had gone by, and Luke was long gone, Annabeth with Percy, and Thalia in the Hunt, Thalia would remember this day with yearning. It was perhaps the first day her restless spirit had found peace, and she knew, that no matter how much more time went by, she would never feel that way again.

But those years had not yet come, and the threesome didn't know anything of trees, traitors, and sons of Poseidon. It was just the three of them, and they were content to live life the way they were, covering each other's backs and never letting their guard down.

And so they walked on, towards the concert, and after that, onwards. They were still hungry and cold, tired and sometimes, close to death. But the last piece of their puzzle had fallen into place, Thalia was part of their small family, and there wasn't anything they wouldn't do for each other.


End file.
